Agulhas Icon
Southernmost Tip of Africa

Date: 2015 – 2017
Status: Complete
Location: Agulhas National Park
Photography: Bernard Oberholzer & SDKS Architects

The Agulhas Icon marks the Southern-most tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. A joint winner of the continent-wide ‘Iconic Ideas Competition’, Stephen Dugmore was the architect on the Agulhas Icon Design Team, in collaboration with landscape architects Bernard Oberholzer and Megan Anderson, and land artists Strijdom van der Merwe and Simon Max Bannister.

The Icon is a composite landscape precinct, designed to lie closely to the ground. It nestles into the coastal fynbos, allowing views across the dunes, ocean and ragged rocks surrounding it. Stone walls mark out a central circular gathering space. At the edges of this circle, the four cardinal points are marked by plates of Corten steel (by Strijdom), with the largest steel plate pointing South. At the South exit from the circular space, a dip and then a rise in the flanking stone walls lead visitors directly South, where the Old Stone Marker sits. A relief map of Africa (by Simon) forms part of the circle’s floor. Boardwalks take a winding route through the protected fynbos, connecting the Icon precinct to the nearby Agulhas Lighthouse. Together, the Southern-most Tip, and the Lighthouse are listed among the Western Cape’s most visited tourist sites. Both are sited within the Agulhas National Park, which is only a 2.5-hour drive from Cape Town.

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